by Lyssa Delgado
Welcome to my weekly article, The Heretic's Herbiary! In this weekly article, I will be discussing different herbs and plants and their connections to witchcraft through different cultural histories. I will be taking requests for herbs to cover, and this week will be an herb associated with the magical culinary herb dill!
Dill is considered one of the world’s best herbs for well-being! The thin, feathery fronds become the aromatic herb called dill weed, and the seeds become the more strongly spiced dill seed. Even the flowers are edible! Its seeds are known to be eaten by nursing mums to increase milk production, and it has anti-inflammatory properties, too. This means it’s perfect to use in magic spells to solve arguments or diffuse tense situations. It’s main use is for luck and protection spells.
In the Middle Ages, dill was placed over the doorway to a home and over a baby’s sleeping areas and cribs as a symbol of love and protection against harm (and especially witches curses). Take the 1627 play Nymphidia by Michael Drayton, which states: ‘Therewith her vervain and her dill, that hindereth witches of their will.’ The Ancient Greeks were the first to associate dill with luck, linking it to wealth and being lucky in love, and adding it to wedding dishes to symbolise a loving and successful marriage.
Romans also used dill fronds in the wreaths they made to recognise athletes and soldiers. They would burn dill seeds and smear them into wounds to help them heal. The word ‘dill’ is derived from the old Norse word dylla, meaning to soothe or lull, as dill fronds were boiled with milk to soothe anxiety and restlessness. Encourage your dill plants to bloom before the summer solstice (June 20th), and collect their small yellowish flowers to symbolise the sun.
If you plant dill in late May or early June, it’s less likely to flower, but more likely to give you plentiful fronds for beautiful altar arrangements or to tie in bunches for luck and protection spells.
Weave dill fronds and flowers into your witchy broom before you use it to symbolically sweep bad luck and a negative past out of your home.
For general luck, braid a purple (to change luck), gold (for luck coming quickly and energy) and green (for positivity) ribbon, and either weave dill fronds into the braid if you want to hang it up, or carry it in your pocket. You can also sprinkle dill flowers on it if you are keeping it on your alter or window sill. As you work the dill into the braid, chant: “Change of luck, come to me! As I will it, so mote it be!”
To protect someone from bad luck and encourage them to have a good life with positive experiences, put a photo of them on a blue plate or piece of paper and sprinkle some dill seeds around it. Do it in a counterclockwise circle to remove negativity, then sprinkle a clockwise circle to encourage good luck.
Make a good luck bath by soaking dill fronds and seeds in a large glass of water for three days during the waxing moon (as the moon increases, so will your luck), then pour it into a warm bath. You can add some rose petals for luck in love, or basil if looking for financial good news.
That's it for this week's Heretic's Herbiary! Remember to comment with an herd or plant you'd like to see in the article next time! Have a magical day!
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